Journal 1:
1. I believe that the world came from God who made it many years ago over the span of 6 days. I believe that he created it as a save haven for people like his future son, Jesus. He created the world so fast because he is God and is very powerful.
2. I believe that there is evil in the world for a reason. It balances out the world. I believe that there has to be death because without it, there isn't much of a religion and then, the people of the world would take there life for granted. Also, if there wasn't any evil, there wouldn't be any bad days and then the good days wouldn't seem so great. Also, I believe evil in the world is a test to people to see how they react to bad things that happen in their lives.
3. I believe that after we die, depending on the way you lived your life, you go to heaven or hell. I believe that there is a judgment day, but God is very forgiving and even if you have done a lot of bad in your life, you have a good chance of going to heaven as long as you confess your sins. I view heaven as a great place where everything is perfect and hell as a fiery, and scary place.
4. I believe that everyone in the world should live with morals. You don't have to devote your entire life to be a perfect person and you should be able to enjoy your life and do lots of fun things. While doing these fun things, I believe that you shouldn't get sidetracked by the evils and do stupid things that could hurt you or other people.
Journal 2:
Me: Hello! Are you truly the Guru?
Guru: Why yes I am!
Me: I have so many questions!
Guru: Hit me with what you have.
Me: Well first, Who created the world?
Guru: Brahman created everything! That includes you!
Me: Really!?! That's amazing! How do you keep good Karma?
Guru: Well first off, remember that you shouldn't be too kept up in doing your Dharma to achieve good Karma or you will be swept away. But you must follow your Dharma to receive good Karma and realize it is sometimes bigger than life! Don't be only focused on your Dharma, also have fun in life!
Me: Thank you so much! Last question, How do you achieve Moksha?
Guru: In order to achieve Moksha, you must follow your Dharma in order to have good Karma to go up in caste. After you have fulfilled all of the castes, then you are able to achieve Moksha.
Me: Thank you so much for your time.
Guru: My pleasure, Thank you for your thoughtful questions.
Journal 3:
Friday- Being "mindful" on Friday was both interesting and frustrating. It also made time feel very long. Every second felt like a minute. Even though I tried to go to a very quiet room, it still seemed like I had many distractions. Every time something made even the quietest of noises, I was distracted. Focusing on the breathing seemed to help ignore the distractions.
Saturday- Meditating on Saturday was much easier then it was on Friday. Time didn't seem as long. By focusing on my thorough breaths, I was able to clear my mind much better than I did on Friday. Although today I found stressful thoughts crossing my mind about something that didn't cross my mind the previous day.
Sunday- Today's meditation was much easier than the days before. It was easier being "mindful." It felt like I was in a sleep-like state because of how peaceful it was. Time seemed to pass much faster than the previous two days. The breaths came naturally and I was able to almost completely clear my mind of all thoughts. It definitely didn't seem as bad as the first day and I wouldn't mind doing it another time.
Journal 4:
If I was God and I was giving Moses the 10 commandments, I wouldn't change a thing. I believe this because God made the 10 commandments what they are to make the world what it is today. Even though some things God may have said were harsh, I believe they were put in there for a reason. I am a Catholic, and as a Catholic, I follow the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments have sculpted many people's lives, and without them, the world could be very different.
Journal 5:
I mostly relate to the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have done things before in my life that were selfish and if I had known of this parable, I could have done those things differently. I regret doing those things and I wished I could redo some of the things I did. The reason this parable could have helped me in those situations is that it I could have been more selfless and helped others.
Journal 6:
I believe that there are misconceptions about Islamic people in the US mostly because of 9/11 and that they are not completely fair. This is because just a handful of Islamic people in the world hate Americans and would want to kill us. Although I am very against ISIS and other terrorist groups, I believe that we shouldn't let groups like them make us make prejudices about 1.5 billion other people in the world. I believe if other Americans met some Muslims and had a conversation with them, that better relations between Muslims and other Americans could be formed.
1. I believe that the world came from God who made it many years ago over the span of 6 days. I believe that he created it as a save haven for people like his future son, Jesus. He created the world so fast because he is God and is very powerful.
2. I believe that there is evil in the world for a reason. It balances out the world. I believe that there has to be death because without it, there isn't much of a religion and then, the people of the world would take there life for granted. Also, if there wasn't any evil, there wouldn't be any bad days and then the good days wouldn't seem so great. Also, I believe evil in the world is a test to people to see how they react to bad things that happen in their lives.
3. I believe that after we die, depending on the way you lived your life, you go to heaven or hell. I believe that there is a judgment day, but God is very forgiving and even if you have done a lot of bad in your life, you have a good chance of going to heaven as long as you confess your sins. I view heaven as a great place where everything is perfect and hell as a fiery, and scary place.
4. I believe that everyone in the world should live with morals. You don't have to devote your entire life to be a perfect person and you should be able to enjoy your life and do lots of fun things. While doing these fun things, I believe that you shouldn't get sidetracked by the evils and do stupid things that could hurt you or other people.
Journal 2:
Me: Hello! Are you truly the Guru?
Guru: Why yes I am!
Me: I have so many questions!
Guru: Hit me with what you have.
Me: Well first, Who created the world?
Guru: Brahman created everything! That includes you!
Me: Really!?! That's amazing! How do you keep good Karma?
Guru: Well first off, remember that you shouldn't be too kept up in doing your Dharma to achieve good Karma or you will be swept away. But you must follow your Dharma to receive good Karma and realize it is sometimes bigger than life! Don't be only focused on your Dharma, also have fun in life!
Me: Thank you so much! Last question, How do you achieve Moksha?
Guru: In order to achieve Moksha, you must follow your Dharma in order to have good Karma to go up in caste. After you have fulfilled all of the castes, then you are able to achieve Moksha.
Me: Thank you so much for your time.
Guru: My pleasure, Thank you for your thoughtful questions.
Journal 3:
Friday- Being "mindful" on Friday was both interesting and frustrating. It also made time feel very long. Every second felt like a minute. Even though I tried to go to a very quiet room, it still seemed like I had many distractions. Every time something made even the quietest of noises, I was distracted. Focusing on the breathing seemed to help ignore the distractions.
Saturday- Meditating on Saturday was much easier then it was on Friday. Time didn't seem as long. By focusing on my thorough breaths, I was able to clear my mind much better than I did on Friday. Although today I found stressful thoughts crossing my mind about something that didn't cross my mind the previous day.
Sunday- Today's meditation was much easier than the days before. It was easier being "mindful." It felt like I was in a sleep-like state because of how peaceful it was. Time seemed to pass much faster than the previous two days. The breaths came naturally and I was able to almost completely clear my mind of all thoughts. It definitely didn't seem as bad as the first day and I wouldn't mind doing it another time.
Journal 4:
If I was God and I was giving Moses the 10 commandments, I wouldn't change a thing. I believe this because God made the 10 commandments what they are to make the world what it is today. Even though some things God may have said were harsh, I believe they were put in there for a reason. I am a Catholic, and as a Catholic, I follow the 10 commandments. The 10 commandments have sculpted many people's lives, and without them, the world could be very different.
Journal 5:
I mostly relate to the parable of the Good Samaritan. I have done things before in my life that were selfish and if I had known of this parable, I could have done those things differently. I regret doing those things and I wished I could redo some of the things I did. The reason this parable could have helped me in those situations is that it I could have been more selfless and helped others.
Journal 6:
I believe that there are misconceptions about Islamic people in the US mostly because of 9/11 and that they are not completely fair. This is because just a handful of Islamic people in the world hate Americans and would want to kill us. Although I am very against ISIS and other terrorist groups, I believe that we shouldn't let groups like them make us make prejudices about 1.5 billion other people in the world. I believe if other Americans met some Muslims and had a conversation with them, that better relations between Muslims and other Americans could be formed.